Unfinished Matters
by Goody
Summary: A continuation of Older and Far Away, major spoilers for that ep. Takes place during the tail end of the episode and continues from there. Not a romance, but does have B/S.


Summary: A continuation of Older and Far Away, major spoilers for that ep. Takes place during the tail end of the episode and continues from there.  
  
Season 6. Not a Buffy/Spike romance, although they are both in it. My first Buffy fanfic, be nice. :-)  
  
What else? Oh, Joss, genius. He owns 'em. I'm very sure you knew that. It's kind of action/advenure, something didn't seem right to me at the end of the ep. Hope you enjoy.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Unfinished Matters  
  
I so don't bloody need this. Spike sighed in frustration as he tried to pull himself to his feet. The disappearing demon trapped in the house with them had just knocked him on his ass for the second time that night. Looking up he relaxed as he saw Buffy impale the creature with its own sword. The demon turned to a fine mist and was funnelled into the blade, which the Slayer immediately broke over her knee. Now they just had to hope that the vengeance demon was going to pull through. She was the only one who could get them out of the damn house.  
  
Reaching up to grasp the desk Spike hauled himself to his feet, slowly and painstakingly. Of course no one offered him a hand, he was the evil disgusting thing after all, that continually managed to save their sorry butts. On second thought he was glad no one helped him, they would surely notice how long it was taking him to stand up and they might also clue in to the fact that he had been fighting that demon with a little less gusto and a lot less skill than usual. He was sore, exhausted, and pretty sure he was going to pass out soon. The entire evening was beginning to catch up to him. Entire two evenings actually.  
  
He hadn't had any blood in almost two days, that's how long they'd been trapped in the house, and Buffy didn't actually keep a supply on hand since she was still insisting he wasn't welcome. His ribs were killing him, not to mention his head. He had banged up both areas several times while trying to fight back the sword monster, and the fact that he was still recovering from Buffy's thrashing didn't help. Neither did being sleep deprived. But he couldn't sleep; hadn't for the entire length of the party. There was a demon in the walls that was intent on maiming everyone in the house and Spike had to do his job. Protect the Little Bit. So that meant no sleep for him.  
  
Finally hauling himself to his feet he looked over to see their vengeance demon was fine.  
  
Thank god, we can get the bloody hell out of here. Oh my god! It isn't.  
  
"William?"  
  
It is.  
  
"Uh, yeah." Spike gave no further reply. That hit on the head must have been harder than he thought, not only was he seeing a girl he met a hundred years ago, he was seeing two of her. Wait a minute, this is a concussion init? He had received a lot of those the last few years and was now able to recognize them when he got one.  
  
The demon seemed to be a bit flustered but quickly turned her attention back to Dawn. Spike never thought he'd seen the Little Bit so depressed. Frelic was rambling on about Dawn hurting with loneliness, or something. Spike couldn't really follow since his eyes were unfocussing and his head was throbbing like mad. He did chuckle to himself when she wasn't able to leave the house, despite her best attempts.  
  
"It's the curse, Frelic." Anya supplied helpfully. The demon seemed a bit downcast but lifted the curse immediately. Spike thought she may have said something to him but he wasn't sure, the room was too busy spinning. Everyone began bustling around the house, Willow and Xander went upstairs to fetch the kid who had gotten in the sword monster's way.  
  
Stupid git! Spike thought as he watched them drag him down the stairs.  
  
Buffy and Dawn just stood to the side watching, Tara not far behind. Several sets of eyes turned to Spike and he guessed they were giving him the honors.  
  
What the hell? He walked towards the door, a lot slower than usual, and hoped no one would notice. He turned the doorknob and pulled it open. They were home free. Xander and Willow hauled the boy down the steps, mumbling something about the bloody stars. Big deal.  
  
Spike watched them go until they were a safe distance away, he was leaning against the doorway so he wouldn't have to try to stand. Damn he was tired. Just utterly exhausted. Weak was more like it actually, but he would never admit that to himself. He realized he had been standing there a bit too long and turned back around to find Buffy and Dawn behind him. He fought back the pain, and nauseau and weakness and offered them the best smile he could. Leaving the house he watched as Buffy closed the door, clearly intent on speaking to Dawn.  
  
The vampire sighed and turned to the street. The Scoobies were all cleared out, thank god. Now he just had to get one foot in front of the other until he could get back to his crypt. How long until the sun came up?  
  
I really gotta buy a watch. Each step was painful, his ribs throbbed, almost as bad as his head, which had taken three pummellings as of late. What he really needed was some blood. Two days without it just wasn't a good thing. The animal blood was barely sustaining him as it was, there were hardly any proteins in that stuff. But he knew he had to get going.  
  
He started to make his way down the stairs.  
  
Only three stairs, no biggie.  
  
Crash!  
  
I was wrong.  
  
No longer able to support him, his legs gave out and he tumbled down the next two steps. He mentally reprimanded himself for not thinking to use the railing. The cement wasn't that hard though, kind of nice after you laid there for a minute. But definitely hard enough to jar his ribs and make his headache about a hundred times worse. He closed his eyes and let out a low groan as he tried to pull himself to his feet, very unsuccessfully.  
  
Buffy had just closed the door and was ready to have a serious talk with her sister. She wasn't sure what she was going to say, but it would be good. She hoped. Just as she was about to begin a loud crash snapped them both to attention. The sisters ran to the door and flung it open. There, laying on the cement at the bottom of the porch was Spike, his duster billowing around him as he tried to pull himself to his feet.  
  
Buffy and Dawn both immediately giggled, "Spike, did you fall down the stairs?" Buffy asked, thinking he had simply lost his balance on their three measly stairs, and not that he was injured and fatigued.  
  
He seemed startled by the question and turned to them, albeit slower than usual, and offered them a half grin, "Yeah, guess I did. Had too much to drink I guess." He attempted to brush it off and hoped they didn't notice the railing was supporting all his weight now that he was standing, "Night Buff, Bit."  
  
We ran out of beer over a day ago. Buffy thought to herself, her smile quickly disappearing. Spike didn't look so good. He wasn't strutting down the walkway with his usual grace, or any grace for that matter. Trudging along was more the word she would use to describe it. From the back she couldn't tell but the Slayer thought something may be wrong.  
  
"Night Spike." Dawn called out, obviously not noticing anything amiss.  
  
Spike didn't respond, that was odd as well. As he moved slowly down the walkway he reached the tree that he had stood behind for so many hours. The cigarette butts still littered the ground. This thought broke his concentration of placing one foot in front of the next and he felt his legs give out once more. He immediately stretched out an arm and leaned heavily against the tree, refusing to fall to the ground again.  
  
Buffy was at his side faster than his muddled mind could comprehend. She pulled at his arm to swing him around to face her and held up several fingers, "How many?" She asked.  
  
Spike had no idea, "Some." He guessed.  
  
"Damn it. How hard did you hit your head?" She asked, reaching to the back of his skull to feel for a lump.  
  
Without thinking he replied, "I don't know love, how hard did you hit it?" He wanted to take it back immediately as he saw the pained expression on her face, but deep down she knew she deserved that.  
  
"Come on, get inside." She grabbed his arm and started to lead him back to the house. She seemed a little surprised when he couldn't keep up and stumbled as he walked, "What's wrong, your thick skull usually isn't affected this bad."  
  
"Just a little tired love. I could use a lay down." Spike replied, not meaning any kind of sexual inuendo for once.  
  
Buffy could use some sleep herself. She escorted the vampire back into the house and sat him on the couch. Realizing she was kind of thirsty after her fight with the sword monster she grabbed a nearby glass of water and gulped it down. Looking back to Spike she suddenly realized why he would be so tired.  
  
"When's the last time you drank?" Buffy asked urgently.  
  
"Had a few beers when I first got here. Ran out bloody fast though." He replied, trying to avoid the question.  
  
"Spike you know what I mean. When?"  
  
"Had a pint of pig's blood 'bout an hour before I got here. Was just a snack though, wasn't mean to hold me over for two days." He admitted reluctantly.  
  
Buffy sighed, wondering what to do now. She couldn't send him home like this. She knew he had a head injury, it could have come from a number of different times he had been struck. As his eyelids began to shut she gently slapped his cheek.  
  
"Hey, stay awake. You're not supposed to sleep with a concussion." She told him.  
  
He laughed softly, "I'm a vamp love. Concussion's not gonna kill me, it's too late for that."  
  
Buffy growled in frustration and grabbed her coat. Spike's crypt was the closest place to get blood right now. As she headed for the door she noticed Dawn standing there, casting a worried glance in Spike's direction. She was suddenly torn as to what to do. Deciding, she made her way to the door. She could talk to Dawn later, it was pretty obvious Spike needed some blood fast, she'd never seen him this weak.  
  
As she walked to the door she whispered to Dawn, "I'll be back soon, I have to go to Spike's crypt. We'll talk when I get back, I promise. You're never alone Dawnie. Stay with Spike, try to keep him awake. I don't care what he says."  
  
Dawn nodded in understanding and watched as her sister swiftly left the house. Looking to the couch she saw the Spike was now laying down, his coat wrapped tightly around him and his eyes were slowly shutting.  
  
She moved to the couch and shook his shoulder, nervously saying, "Hey, hey, hey, you're not supposed to go to sleep. Buffy said."  
  
"Buffy don't know everything Niblet. Just give me a few minutes." Spike's voice was slurred with drowsiness and he pushed his head further into the cushions.  
  
"Come on, Buffy left. I need someone to talk to. About anything." Dawn pleaded.  
  
Spike cracked an eye open and then sighed, he never got any sleep around these women. He pushed himself into a half sitting position and struggled to keep his eyes open.  
  
"Look, I'd love to have a nice chat with you, but first off could you get a bloke an aspirin?" Spike requested, as kindly as he could.  
  
Dawn smiled, glad to help and immediately raced to the bathroom. She returned a few minutes later, half expecting Spike to have drifted off once more. But he was sitting there, awake for the most part and waiting for her to come back.  
  
He quickly gulped down the aspirin and water. He knew it never helped much, but every little bit counts. Passing the glass back to Dawn he thanked her, and she sat on the table across from him. He knew she wouldn't want to discuss what had happened, to be honest he couldn't remember much of the tail end of it, so he decided a neutral topic was best.  
  
"So, how we doing in those Olympics? We kicking some foreign ass?" He asked lightly.  
  
Dawn couldn't help but smile, "I'm not sure. I haven't been watching. Do you mean foreign as in your home foreign, or foreign as in the States? Cause I really don't know your home front here."  
  
"Doesn't matter. Long as we're kicking someone's ass." Spike was pleased he'd gotten a smile from the girl, that was genuinely rare these days.  
  
"Well, according to Buffy there's been plenty of demon ass kicking lately." Dawn said.  
  
"Yeah, tell me about it." Spike replied, but not truly holding a grudge for the whole "kick the shit out of Spike" thing. He noticed Dawn's puzzled look and shrugged his shoulders, "Never mind."  
  
As the two made pleasant conversation that was just plain friendly and relaxing, behind them, just across the room, a blue mist was floating around the broken remains of the demon sword. Breaking the sword hadn't been the smartest thing in the world on Buffy's part, it had simply freed the monster once more, but it immediately vanished into the flooring.  
  
Spike and Dawn were chuckling quietly, enjoying themselves for the moment, when Spike suddenly stopped and raised his hand for her to be quiet. Listening closely the distinct humming sound that had been emitting from the walls earlier had clearly returned.  
  
"You hear that?" Spike asked quietly.  
  
"Uh huh." Dawn replied just as softly as both sets of eyes swept over the room.  
  
Spike swept his feet off the couch and stood up, even as tired as he was his natural grace still never completely left him. Dawn stood beside him and he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He could feel his weariness drain away as it was replaced by anxiousness and an adrenaline rush. With a gentle push he moved Dawn closer to the door, himself close behind.  
  
"We better get out of here. Best to wait 'til big sis gets back." Dawn's only reply was a nodding of her head. They were only feet away from the door when the demon appeared directly in front of them, walking out of the wall and immediately throwing a punch in their direction. He no longer had his sword but he was still no pushover.  
  
"Dawn, down!" Spike ordered, pushing the girl to the floor, dodging the fist for both of them. He pushed her towards the dining room and then rushed to his feet, delivering a swift upper cut to the jaw of the monster as he did so. "Run!" He yelled as he took another swing. His blows were affecting the demon, but not as much as he would have liked.  
  
Dawn didn't immediately react, she got to her feet and stood in the doorway, watching as Spike fought the creature.  
  
The vampire was usually fast and graceful, but he wasn't usually this tired and in so much pain. His movements were slow and his punches not nearly as strong as they could be. He kicked the monster hard in the stomach which angered it greatly. With a growl the beast picked Spike up by the shirt and tossed him into a wall, momentarily stunning him.  
  
Dawn gasped in surprise and the evil creature immediately turned to her. His sights were set, and the young girl immediately started backing away. When she reached the wall in the next room she had nowhere left to go. She closed her eyes and waited for the beast to finish her once and for all. She heard a great roar from him and prepared for the worst, but a blow never came.  
  
Opening her eyes she saw Spike tightly latched onto the demon's back, refusing to let go. Before he could tell her again, she ran down the hallway, intent to get away as fast as possible.  
  
The creature was mad, he didn't like his prey getting away. With a grunt he threw himself backwards against a wall, crushing the vampire between the wood and his body. Spike immediately lost his grip as the air was knocked out of him and he sunk down the wall.  
  
With a loud snarl the demon headed down the hallway, just on Dawn's heels.  
  
Spike pulled himself up, pushing the pain and weariness to the back of his mind. It didn't matter. Only getting to Dawn mattered. Each breath would have been murder for his now crushed ribs, it was a good thing he didn't need to breathe.  
  
Dawn made it to the kitchen and raced for the door. If she could get outside she may be okay.  
  
Locked! Why the hell was it locked?  
  
She didn't have time to think about it as the demon came rushing into the room. Looking around she spotted another door, the basement. Moving fast she opened the door and hurried to get it closed. As she heard the satisfying click of the lock, the door shuddered as a massive body came into the contact with it. It wouldn't take long for the creature to knock it down completely. Going down the stairs she knew she was officially trapped.  
  
Suddenly a clawed hand punched through the wooden frame. Dawn screamed, she didn't know what else to do.  
  
"Spike!"  
  
The hand disappeared a great thud could be heard behind the door. Her call had been answered.  
  
After tackling the demon to the floor, Spike quickly jumped to his feet. He needed a weapon, now.  
  
Kitchen knives. Always handy. He grabbed the biggest one he could find and turned back to the demon. It got to its feet clumsily and snarled at Spike, showing off its massive teeth.  
  
"Yeah, I'm so bleedin' scared." Spike said sarcastically before lunging at the creature. He surprised the beast by feigning to the right and then swinging around him completely. Now behind the demon, Spike plunged the knife deep into the its back.  
  
It howled in a mixture of rage and pain and turned swiftly, striking the vampire hard enough to send him flying into yet another wall. The creature bent down and picked up the almost limp Spike by the neck. He began to squeeze the throat of the peroxide blonde, crushing his windpipe.  
  
Spike pulled back and kicked the demon hard in the stomach, causing him to drop his opponent. Spike massaged his neck, but wasn't feeling too bad.  
  
"Might have been a good idea if I needed bloody oxygen, you git." Spike couldn't stand stupid demons.  
  
The demon charged again, hitting Spike head on. He used his shoulder to ram the vampire's torso into the wall. This also left the creature in a bending position. Spike reached out and grabbed the handle of the knife still protruding from the creature's back. He quickly brought the blade down several more times on different spots on its back. The demon fell beneath the blows but Spike knew it wasn't dead. A few more stabs to the back and then a final deep plunge into the scaly neck and the life left the creature for good.  
  
Spike collapsed to the floor, satisfied that the demon was dead. Dawn cautiously opened the door to the basement just a crack and peered into the kitchen. She relaxed when she saw the stationary beast but gasped, and ran from her hiding place when she saw her favorite vampire leaning against the wall, looking completely spent.  
  
"You alright, Little Bit?" Spike asked, his voice rich with concern, but also laced with pain.  
  
"Yeah, I'm not gonna ask how you're doing."  
  
Spike smiled, "Good, I'd hate to have to lie and tell you I'm fine." He placed a shaky hand against the wall and tried to lift himself up, but found the attempt quite useless as he sank to the floor again. "Bloody hell." His adrenaline surge had died down and that was all that had been keeping him going. The pain of bruised and broken ribs assaulted him, he was sure his head must be cracked open, and he could feel his eyes drifting shut as sleep beckoned for him.  
  
Dawn wasn't sure what she was supposed to do, and she felt a huge surge of relief as she heard the front door being opened. Buffy.  
  
It didn't take a genius to know that the house hadn't been this much of a mess when she left. Buffy looked around the living and dining rooms, trying to locate her sister and whatever could have caused this damage.  
  
"Dawn?" She called out.  
  
"Buffy, in the kitchen. Hurry up." Dawn's voice was panicked and Buffy ran towards as fast as possible. She stopped in the doorway, looking over the situation. One dead demon, one unconscious vampire, one very alive sister. Thank god.  
  
"Dawnie, are you okay?" Buffy asked, kneeling by her sister and looking her over.  
  
Dawn nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah, I'm fine. Spike's hurt. He had to fight that guy ... and he told me to run .. and it chased me .. and ...."  
  
"Shh, it's okay. Don't worry. We'll help Spike and get this all cleaned up, okay?" Buffy comforted her sister as she pulled her into an embrace.  
  
Dawn nodded again and pulled free after a moment, "Spike."  
  
Buffy knew what she meant, he was first on the list. Together they each took one of the arms of the vampire and moved him to the couch. Dawn closed all the blinds, knowing the sun would be up soon. Buffy took out the packets of blood she had gotten from Spike's crypt, not knowing exactly how to get him to drink them while unconscious. Deciding the direct approach was best she opened a pack and placed it at his lips. He immediately began sucking and soon had emptied two bags. He looked better already, but far from good. His face was now bruised far worse than before and a quick check showed that there were several bruised and probably broken ribs. His throat was bruised pretty badly as well. Buffy rubbed her own neck, she knew how that felt.  
  
After patching up the vampire as best they could they decided to let him sleep. Dawn covered Spike with a blanket although he didn't need it, and then went to bed at Buffy's insistence.  
  
As for the Slayer, she trudged wearily into the kitchen. The broken furniture and glass would have to wait for tomorrow, she was exhausted. But she did take the time to drag the dead demon into her basement. He could stay there until she was able to dump him in the river like all the other non-disappearers.  
  
Making her way to her room for some much deserved sleep, she had to pass the sleeping form of Spike. She couldn't help but let her true feelings show when he was laying there, hurt and defenceless. He had gotten that way from protecting her sister. He didn't have to anymore, but he chose to. For that she was eternally thankful.  
  
With a sigh and a shake of her head, Buffy banished these thoughts and made her way upstairs. Some sleep would help clear her mind.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Well, that's it. Just a little thing that was playing in my head. Tell me what you think????? Review? Pleeeeeaaaaaassssseeeeee. I can keep going if you like. Lots of stuff can happen in the morning.  
  
* I know Spike probably would have been not that bad without blood for that long, but it's my fic. I can do what a want. Yes!!!! Fanfic is fun! 


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